Michelle writes:
How do you cure root crops like potatoes and carrots to last longer than a couple weeks? I’ll be tipping over 2 of my three potato towers to see how that turned out but now wondering how on earth I preserve potatoes for an extended time. I’d like to try to grow 100+ pounds next year but gotta learn how to preserve my bounty. Lots of lessons learned this year of how to do gardening so hopefully next year is MUCH better!
Good question, Michelle. First things first, before you plant anything, remember that some varieties store much better than others. This is particularly true of potatoes with russet, Yukon gold, and Kennebec all being top choices for storing longer.
To cure potatoes, lay then out on newspaper in a cool, dark, and well-ventilated place. Let them sit there for about 2 weeks, that will give their skin a chance to toughen up for storage. Don’t wash the potatoes until you are ready to use them. To find out how to properly store them, go HERE. Make sure to check them regularly throughout the winter–even the best practices still yields rotting potatoes, if you catch them and throw them out, they won’t spoil the whole lot.
For carrots and beets, remove the tops {the green parts} because they will pull moisture from the actual carrot, making them dry and cracked. For smaller amounts, place unwashed carrots/beets in ziploc bags, seal tightly to ensure no air is coming in, and store them in the coldest part of your fridge.
For larger crops, take unwashed carrots/beets {make sure none of them are damaged in anyway–those ones will spoil quickly} and cut off the leaves as close to the base of the edible part as you possible can without damaging it. Brush off any loose dirt and then place the carrots/beets in boxes full of SLIGHTLY damp sand, alternating rows of carrots/beets with rows of sand.
For larger crops, take unwashed carrots/beets {make sure none of them are damaged in anyway–those ones will spoil quickly} and cut off the leaves as close to the base of the edible part as you possible can without damaging it. Brush off any loose dirt and then place the carrots/beets in boxes full of SLIGHTLY damp sand, alternating rows of carrots/beets with rows of sand.
Place the box in a cool place {shed or garage} and use them as needed. If the carrots/beets are too wet, they will rot. If they are too dry, they will split, harden and be mostly disgusting. It’s a delicate balance that may take some trial and error. Again, check them regularly for spoilage.
I hope that helps a little. As always, I am sure you can learn a lot more from my readers than me, though, so how do you prepare your root crops for storage? How do you store them?
~Mavis
Looking for a cool garden book to read this winter? Check out The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre!
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